The Six Sweetest Things About the Sweet Sixteen

Sorry in advance if you read this out loud and have a lisp. This past Sunday was a monumental day for Gonzaga sports as both the men’s and women’s teams advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament. The women’s team upset Oregon State AT Oregon State while the men’s team advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in 6 years. Even though the majority of the student body didn’t contribute at all, it’s still exciting for the campus as a whole. Here’s a few of the perks we get to enjoy about both of our teams making it to the Sweet Sixteen.

1.Bragging rights

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has a few mean friends at other schools that will relentlessly rag on our basketball team. Every time I come home I’m berated with “The conference is weak” or “Your guys’ defense just sucks.” Well guess what, mean people from WSU? We’re in the Sweet Sixteen now! What seed did the Cougs get in the tourney? Wait, they didn’t make it in? But how could our awful, soft team make it this far then?

2. Professors become way cooler

A lot of professors will open a class with some comment about how well the basketball teams did, but every now and then you get a professor who’s secretly a hardcore fan. They’ll not just say “So how about them Zags, huh?” but go into detail talking about the defensive adjustments we made in the second half and how UCLA doesn’t stand a chance because of our depth. It’s a lot easier to learn accounting from someone that shares your interests.

3. You finally get the confidence to ask out that girl from your religion class that you’ve had your eye on since the first day of the semester. Oh, don’t give me that, you know which one.

Both teams advancing to the Sweet Sixteen has shown us that anything is possible. All of the sudden the world is beautiful again. So why not ask that girl to coffee? Why not staple your study guide to the back of your test and turn it in as your answers? This is the time to finally talk in your participation-based ethics class.

4.Free hugs

I can’t tell you the amount of PDA I’ve had with strangers over sports. Reaching the Sweet Sixteen with two teams should equate to double the free hugs. If we move on to the Elite Eight, Final Four, or championship game you best believe everyone is getting a hug, whether they like it or not.

5. Watching more basketball

This one’s pretty obvious, and I’m disappointed I didn’t think of this as number one. After a sport season ends, you don’t know what to do with yourself. It’s like after your favorite show goes off the air. You’re left wondering what to do with your time and need something else to get invested in. Not school, obviously, but something else. But since we don’t go to Iowa or Oregon State, that’s not us.

6. People knowing what Gonzaga is

It may be mispronounced, but now Gonzaga is in the national sporting spotlight. Hopefully this will mean less employers politely asking where Gonzaga is or what Gonzaga is. We’re a great school, and maybe now people will finally realize it.